For the past 4.5 years hubby and I have camped in my Brenderup. Put an A/C in the groom's door, shut the top over the ramp door, inflatable mattress. Had a tote of cooking utensils/electric skillet etc.

I just purchased a small used 2 horse converted trailer. It does have ac/heat, fridge, microwave, sink and cowboy shower in the horse compartment - little portapotty. Has an awning which is nice and a bed in the gooseneck.

Going camping in it this coming weekend for the first time. It is a 94 Softouch.

I started out with a small 2 horse bumper pull (no idea what brand, other than ancient) and a tent. Moved up to a slightly larger bumper pull (Trailers USA 2 horse straight load) that didn't leak, so would sweep it out and slept there instead of the tent.

Then I really hit the jackpot when I married my DH, as he already owned a lovely 3 horse Sundowner with living quarters. I thought things like a fridge and being able to shower after a ride were the best things ever!

Then the universe showed me what really mattered when it came to trailers:

There is no doubt in my mind that the excellent construction of that trailer saved my horse's life, as she was standing right beside the wall pictured last, right beside the impact point. I don't even want to think about what the outcome would have been had that been my little 2 horse being pulled by my little truck..

Amenities are great.. but they are not the most important thing. While I love having a comfortable place to sleep and shower and sit when its raining.. I love driving down the road and knowing that I am doing everything I can to keep my horses as safe as possible. If it came down to a choice between a good-quality trailer and a tent and a questionable trailer with LQ, I would be sleeping in the tent every time.

[For those that may not have seen those pics before.. all 3 horses in the trailer and the driver of the SUV walked away from the accident, though the driver had to crawl out the back hatch as none of the car doors would open. My mare was stuck on the trailer for a bit because the impact jammed the stud wall partition closed. The accident was a result of the driver texting and driving too fast because he was late for work.]

A trailer with LQ's costs as much as my truck (did--we bought it one year old), and we paid $38K for that, (orginally $48K.) It's a 2007 Dodge Cummins full ton, doolie, 4 x 4, Syrius radio with all the bells and whistles. We bought it for CW reenacting, and then quit the hobby. The truck was a GREAT purchase.
We use a 14yo, 4 horse steel Ponderosa gooseneck. The overhang is great to sleep, and we bought a full size normal mattress for that. The small changing area has 4 steel hooks for anything you want to hang up, and we often take a portable bucket toilet, rarely used, except in an emergency. I keep a rug there and a small trash can. We have been camping in it for riding vacations since 2000. We also have 7 canvas tents, Coleman cooking stuff and other cooking stuff, and we often set up an A-frame tent for supplies.
IF I was showing, this would be enough for two people to sleep in and change and hang show clothes. After all, you are at a horse show, NOT to be sitting around watching tv or playing video games!
I think if you are on the road showing over 10x/year, THEN a trailer with LQ would pay for itself. For ME, it's an unneccessary luxury.
Phantomhorse13, I am impressed that your aluminum trailer is build THAT W
As an aside, I have talked to big rig drivers who tell me that these idiot sedan/suv, whatever drivers that shoot in and out of traffic scare the beejesus out of them bc they can't always stop and many of them have driven OVER these small cars, when it was the small car driver's complete fault, as YOUR accident was.

Judging from the picture, you would have pulled out and been in the other lane, the SUV driver would have zipped on by in his/her lane, and nothing would have happened.

jamesqf, you can think that if you want to. In my 28 years of trailering I am MORE afraid of stupid drivers like the one that caused this accident, and I don't think the type or length of trailer would have prevented this.

Phantomhorse13, I must have deleted some. What I MEANT to say was that your aluminum trailer is making me rethink about getting one. I didn't know that they were built that well. I hope the driver's insurance takes a bit hit!

Judging from the picture, you would have pulled out and been in the other lane, the SUV driver would have obliviously zipped on by in his/her lane, and nothing would have happened.

As with many another thing in life, sometimes it's not how much armor you wear, it's not making yourself into a great big target.

That would be passing on the right, which is a violation of the law. And a car just tried to do that very thing when my hay delivery truck pulled into the other lane to make the wide turn into the driveway...the suv driver blared her horn and tried to squeeze by in what was left of the right lane. She wound up slamming into the right wheel on the truck, bending the tie-rod.

As I told the officer, country folk stop, city folk blare their horn and try to pass on the right...the problem is that some drivers do not give other drivers respect.

after all, what is a minute out of your life if you can wait and prevent an accident? I see folks after accidents all the time in the hospital, and it isn't pretty.

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